6 Month Stats

Happy Half Birthday Baby Girl!

Your dad and I just sat in bed this morning marveling at the fact that you've been in our lives for half a year already. On one hand it's gone by in a blink of an eye, and on the other it seems like you've been here forever. It's cliche, but we honestly can't remember what life was like before you. We're pretty sure it involved a lot more free time, happy hour dates, and discretionary income; but all of that aside, these have been hands-down the best six months of our lives. You absolutely light up our days, make us laugh; and challenge us to be better, loving, more patient, more selfless people every single day. We love you Baby Girl!

Ava, at 6 months you...

• weigh 17 pounds, 6 ounces. This puts you in the 78th percentile for your height and weight.
• wear size 3 diapers.
• wear some 3-6 month clothes, but mostly 6 month clothes.
• had your first "solid" food. On Thanksgiving, how fitting! You had nothing but breast-milk until this month so it was kind of a big deal. We fed you brown rice cereal. You were "eh" about it. Since then you've had sweet potatoes as well. You liked them a bit more. We'll try bananas next I think.

 

• "pulled to a stand" on Thanksgiving Day! Exactly one week after you started crawling, you did this...

You're a crazy chick. That's all I have to say. You do everything big and just go for it. You're adventurous and fearless and I just sit there and watch in awe, and a bit in denial, asking myself where my little baby went. I am proud of you though. So you can now crawl and pull yourself up to a stand... but still can't sit. I think you simply can't be bothered to stop long enough to sit. How boring.

• have your own pen. After Extreme Home Make Over: Baby-Proofing Edition, this is the best solution we came up with to allow you to safely roam and practice all your cool new skills. It won't be featured in any home remolding magazines any time soon but it's worth it to keep you safe and having fun.

• had your first hair cut. You were in dire need with the Dumb & Dumber look you were rocking there for awhile. I cut your hair while dad held you down. It looks cute and is no longer in your eyes when your trying to do your thing.
• are babbling up a storm! (Please excuse the morning state Mama's in)

• are very opinionated about your toys. You chuck ones you don't like over your shoulder to get to the ones you do.
• are very independent. You aren't up for many cuddles or being picked up lately, you just want to crawl. Even at bedtime I rock you and you'll only have so much of it before I can tell you just want to be put down to put yourself to sleep. It's what the goal of the sleep training was so I'm half proud of you, half wishing for a few more moments just holding you before bed. And so the struggle between letting you go and keeping you my baby begins...
• say "Mama." Although you've seriously been doing this since about 2 months old, now I don't feel quite so silly claiming it. You don't even cry when you wake up at night or in the morning anymore, you just lay in your bed saying "Mama" over and over again until I come get you. And when I do, you get the biggest, most beautiful, gummy smile across your face. I look forward to this like you don't even know. 
• are a hip baby now. I can carry you on my hip now like a bigger baby. You cling to me like the little monkey you are. 

Lastly, I have a little milestone of my own to celebrate: I FIT INTO MY PRE-PREGNANCY JEANS! And I'm able to breath. Booyah! I remember talking to a friend early in my pregnancy, she was celebrating being able to fit into her pre-pregnancy jeans four months after having her baby. I thought, Oh that poor dear, that's so long. Good thing I'm so committed to loosing the baby weight quickly. Uh huh. One of the many, many things I've learned on this wild ride of parenthood is not to judge others. Ever. So here I am, ecstatic to be celebrating the same milestone two months later than that poor-thing-turned-hero.

Okay, back to you Ava Shay, we love you & are so proud of you!

6 Month Photo Shoot